Tolling/Privatization

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates (ATFI) urged Connecticut residents to be wary of the state’s plan to study tolling of state highways citing a long history of tolling studies that have misled policymakers into thinking tolls are practical infrastructure funding solution, when in fact, they are not.

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, of which NATSO is a founding member, on June 15 urged Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) to exclude recommendations for tolls from its upcoming I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan, which is due to the Virginia General Assembly later this year.

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, of which NATSO is a founding member, sharply criticized the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) on June 5 for moving forward with truck-only tolling in the coming days, arguing that it is bad public policy that will reroute prosperity around the state.

Tolls represent a regressive double tax that disproportionately hurts lower income drivers and will create significant disruptions for local communities, a representative of the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates said in a recent interview with National Public Radio (NPR).

Gary Langston, President of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, urged Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb to remove consideration of tolling from all of Indiana's Interstates just as he did for I-465 in the state. The Governor earlier this year said that tolling shouldn't be considered around the Indianapolis loop. However IDOT on Nov. 1 issued a feasibility study that claimed the state could raise up to $53 billion by tolling six other major Interstates.

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates sharply criticized the Indiana Department of Transportation Nov. 3 for issuing a Tolling Feasibility Study that presented a misleading and unrealistic outlook for Indiana’s potential use of tolls.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao reaffirmed that DOT still expects private financing to play a role in the Administration’s infrastructure plan despite recent criticism of public-private partnerships by President Trump. Secretary Chao also said that work on an infrastructure package will not begin until after Congress works on tax reform, squashing suggestions that a tax code overhaul could be used to pay for an infrastructure package.

NATSO and the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates on Oct. 20 blasted the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for soliciting state participation in a failed federal tolling pilot program arguing that tolls harms businesses and local communities.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 6 opened debate on the chamber’s consideration of a fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending package. Of importance to NATSO members are two amendments that would prohibit the use of federal funds to collect tolls on Interstates.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said Congressional work on President Trump’s $1 trillion infrastructure package may be pushed until early next year as lawmakers focus on healthcare and tax reform and a bevy of other must-pass bills in the coming months.

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, of which NATSO is a founding member, criticized President Trump's call for privatizing America's infrastructure, following remarks made June 7 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Marking a major victory for the truckstop and travel plaza community, the Indiana state General Assembly removed from its comprehensive transportation legislation a provision that would have put the state on track to toll I-70 in the near future. After vocal opposition from local businesses and commuters, as well as the Alliance for Toll Free Interstates of which NATSO is a founding member, the General Assembly substantially scaled back this provision, ultimately making it more difficult to authorize tolling projects within the state.

With the Trump Administration considering a $1 trillion infrastructure package that relies heavily on private dollars, governors, legislatures and transportation officials across the country already are laying the groundwork for new tolls.